Is it Possible to Find a Rental When Owning a Pet?

Your pet is a family member and a non-negotiable when renting a property. As it should be in our opinion. However, in full disclosure, we have an office dog that is a very important member of our team and the apple of his owner’s eye (she is pretty obsessed with him). So, what to do when looking for a home to rent in Sweden? Many ads do not state that they accept pets and does that mean they are not worth contacting?  Our experience is that it is  worth pursuing anyway, if done openly and strategically.

Many home owners that do not click that they accept pets, deny pets selectively. What we mean by that is that there are cat people and there are dog people. Our colleague that is obsessed with her dog is equally NOT a fan of cats, gerbils nor hamsters.  Naturally, we cannot guarantee that an owner that has said no to pets will say yes to your family member but in our experience it is worth a shot.

How to proceed when contacting an owner that has said no to pets?

1. Do it before the showing so that neither of you waste time if it is indeed a non-negotiable. Do not try to slide in a pet as by the way after coming to an agreement. That pretty much shatters the relationship between you and the owner.
2. Add it to your presentation, when you make contact with owners, tell them about your pet. If there are positive attributes such as it being an older well trained dog, definitely mention that.
3. Offer to put your money behind your pets attributes by offering a larger deposit.

 Our experience, built on thousands of sublets, is that there are seldom absolutes and more flexibility than one might think. Yes, your search may be more challenging due to having a pet but it may also lead you to a more like minded landlord resulting in a better tenant-landlord relationship overall.